If you have a minor illness or injury, the emergency department may not be the best place for you. If your primary care provider is unavailable for same day access, or if it is after hours, our Urgent Care Center, located adjacent to the Emergency Department at Fairview Range Medical Center, is available 9 a.m. - 10 p.m. seven days a week, including weekends and holidays. Urgent Care is for a minor illness or injury, such as:

Who decides if I will be seen in the Urgent Care or Emergency Department?

All patients are seen by the Triage nurse and put in order to be seen. This depends on their symptoms and how many tests will be needed. Patients older than 6 months of age with minor illnesses/injuries and who require simple testing can be seen in Urgent Care (UC). Patients who require more testing, who are less than 6 months old, or who have complicated medical histories will be seen in the Emergency Department (ED).

Patients with life threatening problems are always treated first. Your waiting time depends on the urgency of your problem, the number of patients ahead of you and the the number of tests you will need. Please understand that patients with more urgent needs must be seen before you.

How long will I have to stay in the Emergency Department or Urgent Care?

Again, it depends on how urgent your problem is and how many patients are ahead of you. Patients are seen according to need. If the triage nurse determines you have a life-threatening crisis, we will treat you right away. If your problem is less urgent, you may have to wait.

We are lucky in Minnesota. Our ED waiting times are about half of the average time around the rest of the country. Still, you can expect to be in the ED about 3 hours, and in the Urgent Care about an hour. We will do everything we can to get you the care you need in a timely manner.